bungalow

poor nas. has anyone informed him?

Captain Awesome

I tried but it turns out despite rumours of "keeping it real" Nas no longer talks to anyone unless they are rich like him

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"If we're all merely players in a play on this great stage,
the problem is the script writers ain't on the same page,
I echo through the mountain when I'm singing in the air,
from my lab a lad with lavish lyrics living in his lair."


"Wake up and listen, hear what's not for the public's ears
Pinocchio poets played by profiting puppeteers"

crabbylion

Black on Both Sides IS A MUST LISTEN....way too much knowledge on that album. I agree with another poster with Enta Da Stage-Black Moon....but don'g forget Moment of Truth-Gangstarr

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"Music is the most potent, yet legal drug." -crabbylion

BTown

How about Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.? I always thought that was a classic but haven't seen much of that mentioned.

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patmustard

Doggystyle
Illmatic
Stankonia
All Eyez On Me
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

B More Melo

How about...
The Chronic- Dr. Dre
ATLiens- Outkast
Ready to Die- Notorious B.I.G.
Eternal 1999- BTNH
Marshall Mathers LP- Eminem

Those are 5 biggies from different parts of the country, I think you would enjoy them all.

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Chill Out

someonecompletelyrandom

That's a good list. Bone Thugs don't get enough mention.

Roygbiv

A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instictive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

Why you should start here: This album still sounds like nothing else in hip-hop today. Super smooth beats and shockingly conscious / humble lyrics. It's an album about self-reliance and individuality, and how it can be balanced by depending on the right people with the right state of mind.



Nas - Illmatic

Why you should start here: It's hip-hop's most concise recording - no filler, no skits, no gimmicks - but also its most seminal. Instead of finger pointing, Nas is cool and reflective, smoothly spitting rhymes about living with adversity at every corner. Its production and its style is unmatched, really. And that's no snob talk.

Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele

Why you should start here: Get high and listen to this beast, you'll get why I picked it.



Jay Dee J Dilla - Donuts

Why you should start here: Yeah, it's not really truly hip-hop thanks to each joint being instrumental, but still. When I want to explain the energy, the soul, and the magic of hip-hop to people, I point them to this album. Each instrumental is made up of samples, some barely untouched and others unrecognizable. It's alive from beginning to end, and if you skip it you're a fool.



Madvillain - Madvillainy

Why you should start here: The album comes and goes quickly, thanks to most songs being at the 2 minute mark. It's about 46 minutes long, so it's one of modern hip-hop's most concise statements, and it's entertaining as hell. Fat beats, hilarious rhymes, and an attitude that's completely their own. It's short length (relatively) also means you'll have an easier time getting through it on your first couple listens.



Happy listening!

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Fruitonica

Madvillainy has slipped in my esteem lately (from best to just very good) but I don't think I will ever stop loving Accordion. I will love that hypnotic beat til the day I die.

pourmeanother

Plus it has the line "get more cheese than doritos, cheetos, or fritos", which I like.

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Life is just blah, blah, blah
You hope for blah
And sometimes you find it, but mostly it's blah
And waiting for blah
And hoping you were right about the blahs you made
And then, just when you think you've got the whole blah'd damn thing figured out
And you're surrounded by the ones you blah
Death shows up... anddd blah, blah, blah.